The importance of queer musical experimentation : in what ways does queer experimentation contrast with heteronormative norms?
Hansen, Ole Magne (2025)
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025052214469
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025052214469
Tiivistelmä
The objective of this thesis was to find out what fuels queer musical experimentation and expression and how it differs from our heteronormative norms. It was also important to explore the importance of such experimentation and shine a light on how queer musical experimentation specifically has led to much innovation throughout music history.
This thesis examines how queer musical expression, both historical and contemporary, functions not merely as artistic experimentation but as an intrinsic mode of identity, resistance, and survival. By analyzing the ways in which queer artists have navigated and challenged heteronormative musical standards, the study argues that their innovations often emerge from a position of necessity rather than choice.
The role of intersectionality in music history is also explored extensively in this thesis. Although queer artists have gained more recognition in the last decades, queer artists of colour, and especially women, still face many roadblocks in their musical careers.
The work situates queer musical practices within broader sociopolitical contexts, acknowledging intersecting struggles faced by queer artists of color and marginalized genders. It traces queer contributions to the evolution of popular music over the past century, highlighting how such experimentation has driven innovation and critiqued mainstream norms.
Through the study done for this thesis, it was concluded that queer musical experimentation is an essential part of queerness itself because of its alternative meaning of being positioned opposed to the normative. When the norms are heteronormative, it is understandable that queer artists want to challenge these norms and break the generally accepted boundaries of what is correct and incorrect ways of being.
In the end, this thesis showcases the importance of queer musical experimentation by showing how it is linked to almost every modern popular music genre. Ultimately, the thesis underscores the vital role of queer artists in shaping musical culture and advocates for broader recognition of their impact.
This thesis examines how queer musical expression, both historical and contemporary, functions not merely as artistic experimentation but as an intrinsic mode of identity, resistance, and survival. By analyzing the ways in which queer artists have navigated and challenged heteronormative musical standards, the study argues that their innovations often emerge from a position of necessity rather than choice.
The role of intersectionality in music history is also explored extensively in this thesis. Although queer artists have gained more recognition in the last decades, queer artists of colour, and especially women, still face many roadblocks in their musical careers.
The work situates queer musical practices within broader sociopolitical contexts, acknowledging intersecting struggles faced by queer artists of color and marginalized genders. It traces queer contributions to the evolution of popular music over the past century, highlighting how such experimentation has driven innovation and critiqued mainstream norms.
Through the study done for this thesis, it was concluded that queer musical experimentation is an essential part of queerness itself because of its alternative meaning of being positioned opposed to the normative. When the norms are heteronormative, it is understandable that queer artists want to challenge these norms and break the generally accepted boundaries of what is correct and incorrect ways of being.
In the end, this thesis showcases the importance of queer musical experimentation by showing how it is linked to almost every modern popular music genre. Ultimately, the thesis underscores the vital role of queer artists in shaping musical culture and advocates for broader recognition of their impact.